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Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
SEVEN members of the same family died in an accident on Friday night when a Toyota Granvia they were travelling in collided head-on with a haulage truck at the 14km peg along the Gweru-Bulawayo highway. Police national spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi, confirmed the accident which occurred at around 10.30pm when a Toyota Granvia collided with a haulage truck at Tree Top Shopping Centre on the outskirts of Gweru, killing seven members of the same family on the spot. Two of them were children.
Chief Supt Nyathi said the Shurugwi-bound Toyota Granvia had seven people on board when the accident occurred.
“I can confirm that seven people died in an accident yesterday along Gweru-Bulawayo road when the vehicle they were travelling in collided head-on with a haulage truck which was travelling towards Bulawayo.
“The driver of the Toyota Granvia, which was going towards Gweru, is said to have stopped and parked on the right side of the road and on trying to get back into the road, the vehicle was suddenly hit by a haulage truck. All the seven people aboard the Granvia died on the spot,” he said.
Chief Supt Nyathi said the bodies of the deceased were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem.
He said the names of the deceased would be announced once their next of kin were informed.
When Sunday News got to the scene, the haulage truck driver, Mr Misheck Mukono, was still assisting police with investigations and the wreckage was still to be removed.
Police had to search for the head of one of the accident victims after it was severed as a result of the accident.
Mr Mukono said the driver of the Toyota Granvia swerved to the right side and the vehicle veered off the road before swerving back into the road encroaching into the right lane resulting in the collision.
“On approaching the 14-km peg, the driver of the Toyota must have lost control of the vehicle which then swerved to the right side and veered off the road.
“However, the driver did not stop and tried to swerve the vehicle back into the road encroaching into my lane resulting in the collision. I tried to avoid him but he totally lost control of the vehicle. The car was then dragged off the road by the truck. All the seven people died on the spot,” he said.
Online Reporter